Nickutu
Nickutu: Bane of the Nosferatu---- History And what, many a Nosferatu has asked, of Nosferatu's other childer, the Nictuku? Did they die out, or do they still lurk in the dark corners of the world? The Nosferatu certainly believe in their existence, and many a night in the warrens is spent telling tales of these horrible and malign beings. The precise roster of the Nictuku is unknown, though there are many. A few names have been passed down through the ages: Abraxes, Lord of Mists; the cannibal hag Baba Yaga; Nuckalavee the Skinless; Gorgo, She Who Screams in Darkness; Echnida the Mother of Foulness. According to the stories, each Nictuku has its own unique characteristics and appearance, but all are monstrous. Though the Nictuku are, or were, vampires, they possess a far greater quantity of the original Antediluvian vitae and have thus been transformed far beyond the ken of most "pure" Nosferatu. The Nictuku are monsters in the truest sense of the word. The Nictuku, so the stories go, are all Blood Bound to the sleeping Antediluvian, and all are consumed with the desire to destroy the entire Nosferatu line. Only then will Caine's curse be lifted and Nosferatu's face restored. The existence of the Nictuku is still conjecture, but it cannot be denied that Nosferatu who choose to operate apart from the clan often disappear mysteriously. There have also been instances of entire Nosferatu warrens disappearing without a trace. Few non-Nosferatu have heard the legend of the Nictuku; those who have heard it largely scoff at the idea, considering the entire tale and exercise in self-gratification ("the beasts just want to believe that there are things out there even more repulsive than they are.") The Nictuku themselves are seen as mere bogeymen whose purpose is to enforce clan unity. Most Nosferatu, however, take the Nictuku very seriously indeed. Fear of these creatures is the primary reason the Nosferatu spend so many of their nights in hiding. The threat of these monsters also does much to explain why the Nosferatu are so obsessive about garnering information - for the Nictuku strike silently from the dark, and fade into the dark again. The Nosferatu believe that constant vigilance against these creatures is the only way to prevent their attacks. Rumors of strange creatures and inexplicable occurences are snapped up by the Nosferatu. A few Nosferatu have devoted themselves to protecting the clan from these evils. They spend their nights investigating any rumor that might hint at the presence of the Nictuku, tracking these ancient predators and relaying warnings to clan members. Some have even teamed up with members of other clans, using their allies' contacts and powers to help the Nosferatu. ---- Background The Nosferatu Antitribu looked nervous, more nervous, I imagine, than he would have been had he known that I wasn't in the Sabbat. He unfolded the parchment I handed him and read it quickly. He looked up and nodded at me. "It is good. You want to know of..." The Nosferatu visibly shivered. "Nictuku?" "Yes. All I have heard are rumors. Most others I have asked only told me to get out, or just left." "That is understandable, Master Rowan. Sit..." I did as I was told, finding a spot to sit on one of the boxes that wasn't covered in sewer slime. He then unfolded a most wonderful tale... There was a time quite a long time ago, where the Nosferatu were the most beautiful of clans. Even the insufferable Toreador were nothing compared to the members of my clan. And the most beautiful of all was the leader, Nosferat himself. Not only was he handsome, he was proud of it. He was arrogant as hell, and this was before he became a kindred! And not only was he these two things, but he was also the finest hunter there was. He was also proud of this. As the story goes, one of Caine's progeny, Zillah I think, found him strolling along some picturesque beach, I'm sure, when he saw her. For some reason or another, they got in a fight. As it turned out, Zillah scratched Nosferat across the face, and embraced him. The wound was permanent, and marred Nosferat's perfect face. Knowing of his arrogance, I think you can imagine that he was quite upset about this. After many years, Nosferat sired many Childer of his own. All of them he blood bound to him. After Caine told all of his progeny to stop embracing more Children of Seth, Nosferat stopped. Well, not really. One day, while on one of his many nature walks (or some crap like that) he happened upon a beautiful woman bathing in a lake. He was overcome by lust and embraced her, afterwards he remembered Caine's words, and left her there. He ran back to his own lair, leaving her unbound. Many years later, Nosferat's hatred of Zillah for what she had done had not abated. Using the arts of hiding that he had developed he tricked the other antediluvians into destroying the kindred of the second generation. When Caine had left for a day and a night, the antediluvians attacked and destroyed the second generation. After the slaughter, Caine returned home. He found each of the third generation responsible for the destruction of his progeny, and cursed each of them. Some of the curses are obvious, Malkav lost his sanity, Brujah lost his passion and Gangrel lost his humanity. Nosferat lost his looks, and so did all of his children. He gathered them all, and immediately ran into hiding. They have not been heard from again. Now you wonder how I stand here. Remember the woman in the lake? She was not bound to Nosferat, and while she did lose her beauty, she did not go into hiding with Nosferat. She is the mother of all Nosferatu, she sired our sires. Our antediluvian lies hiding somewhere, though where we know not, and would like to keep it that way. It is said that he has the notion in his head that if he can kill all of his Childer and his Childer's Childer and so on, that Caine will forgive him and give him back his looks. He has all of the bound kindred who went into hiding with him seek and destroy any Nosferatu that they can find. These are the Nictuku. "Now, Master Rowan. Do you understand why we fear the Nictuku?" I nodded, "But did you not say it was just a rumor. How can you fear a rumor." The Nosferatu grunted. "To others it is a rumor, to us it is our greatest fear. Entire warrens have vanished without a trace. Even more rumors suggest that a Nictuku has reawakened in Russia and has devoured all of the kindred there. It is advisable for you to worry too, Nosferat does not want everyone knowing of his activities, and I doubt he would trust a Tremere to keep a secret." The Nosferatu glared up at me, "I certainly don't." "Yes, thank you. This information is invaluable. Of course, no one will know of where I found it out, and no one will know where you found those rituals." The Nosferatu grinned before he disappeared. ---- Facts Nosferat is the name that I will use for the Nosferatu Antediluvian, there are no doubt many other names. The Antediluvians made up many, for in true names, there is the power to control. The Nictuku do not want only to destroy the Nosferatu, they will destroy any and all Kindred as possible. Nosferat knows that Caine disapproved of all Childer beyond the second generation. The Nictuku share the same curse as the Nosferatu, but they go beyond. The grotesqueness of the Nictuku goes into every pore of their existence. The smell of a Nictuku provokes fear in a mortal, the sound of their voice will make one scream and their faces are so hideous that Kine have been known to die of heart attacks when they are seen. The Nictuku have free will, but are so dominated by Nosferatu that every idea of his, when planted into their heads, will seem like their own. With this, Nosferatu manipulates events in the world even more than most of the other sleeping antediluvians. The Nictuku are so horrid and evil that humanity is meaningless to them. They instead have an ability known as rage. (Any Nictuku who try to stay as human as possible may follow a Path of Enlightenment. Those who do lose both the pros and the cons of rage and are played mainly as one might play a truly evil Nosferatu Antitribu.) Thanks to their supreme monsterousness, only those Nictuku who follow a Path of Enlightenment can fit into Kindred society, and even those must claim to be Nosferatu who have been maimed by the sun and refuse to heal. It is said that the Nictuku are the true clan, and that the Nosferatu are a bloodline of the Nictuku. Fortunately for the person who said this, he didn't say it around a Nosferatu. ---- System NICKNAME: (To the few who even know of the Nictuku) Grendel APPEARANCE: The Nictuku, like the Nosferatu, have a monstrous appearance, but even moreso. They are inhuman in the extreme. Those who bother to wear clothes at all wear dark lose robes. HAVEN: Anywhere where they cannot be found, on accident or purpose. BACKGROUND: The Nictuku embrace those who already hate enough to kill without thought, though they avoid the socio-pathically insane. The Nictuku prefer their Childer to kill and know what their doing. They also like to embrace those who have discovered the existence of vampires, and who are so repulsed that they hunt them. CHARACTER CREATION: All are ruthless killing machines. Most have a deviant nature on a new level, though there are many who are loners or even conformists. The Primary Attribute is generally physical and the Primary Ability is usually Talents. The Nictuku, thanks to their evil auras, cannot have any contacts, allies, retainers, or fame among humans. They cannot garner status among Kindred society as Nictuku. The Virtues of the Nictuku are as the Sabbat virtues. CLAN DISCIPLINES: Obfuscate, Quietus, Grotequous WEAKNESSES: Like the Nosferatu, the Nictuku have an appearance of 0 and automatically fail any rolls having to do with appearance. Actually, thanks to their horrible aura, they cannot interact with humans at all. Their appearance sends the children of Seth screaming, like the delirium of the Garou. The Kine can sense when they are near a Nictuku, and their stomaches lurch when they talk to one, even over the phone. Also, because of this, Nictuku cannot blood bind humans, or make human ghouls. The mortal in question would be so terrified that he would most likely end up killing himself trying to get away from the Nictuku. Charisma also costs twice as much to purchase with experience. The daymares the Nosferat sends to his children makes their rest less helpful, they recover d10 willpower when they sleep. (All of these weaknesses are balanced off in the section designated rage, trust me. Also, none but the appearance and charisma weaknesses apply to Nictuku on a Path of Enlightenment.) PREFERRED PATHS: Those who follow one generally follow the Path of the Scorched heart or the Path of Caine, though a much more violent version of the Path of Caine is followed. ORGANIZATION: All Nictuku are ruled by Nosferat. Period. Because of this, they rarely fight amongst themselves. GAINING CLAN PRESTIGE: Killing off fellow kindred, especially Nosferatu. QUOTE: "Perhaps we can make a deal. You tell me where your warren is, and I kill you fast. Or I will strap you to a table and let the sun take you slowly, and then you will tell me where your warren is." STEREOTYPES: *The Camarilla - The Camarilla is only useful for finding out where the warrens of the Nosferatu are most likely to be. Otherwise, we gain little by mixing with them.If you even find a hint that one of the monsters has entered your domain, you have two choices. You can gather together all of your warren, and fight it. Or you can run. I myself will be running, while you all die.-Thames, Houston Nosferatu *The Sabbat - They are a force to fear. Their goal is to destroy the Antediluvians, something we cannot allow, but we will battle this Sect only to save our master. Who?-Trask, Tzimisce Cardinal of St. Louis *The Iconnu - The only Sect that we truly have to worry about. They know of the crime committed by our father, and they know the why and what of what we do. Watch them, and prepare for the time that we must destroy them. While we try to maintain nonintervention, stop at nothing to destroy any of these vile creatures. Their very nature breaches the masquerade, and threatens all that we work for.-Vlad Tepes, Tzimisce Elder ---- Rage Rage makes up for the limitations of the Nictuku tenfold. Rage can be spent by a Nictuku, like a Garou, to do an extra action in one turn without splitting up the dice pool. It can also be used on a 2/1 basis to increase physical attributes to above the max level for one scene. Rage is also what gives the Nictuku the aura that they possess. Thanks to rage, any who see a Nictuku will run screaming and rationalize it later, just as they would a Garou. Unfortunately, this is worse than the Garou. This delirium is in effect even when the Nictuku is only near a mortal. It will also work when a mortal can only hear the Nictuku's voice, even over a telephone. Rage costs four freebies per point, and current rating x2 in experience points to raise. ---- Discipline: Grotesquous Grotesquous is the power of the Nictuku to control his own evil aura. It was developed by Nosferat over years of obsessing over his hatred of Zillah. (Nictuku who follow a Path of Enlightenment cannot use Grotesquous.) * Release: The Nictuku can control his aura long enough to force a mortal to stare in his eyes, after the aura is back on, as long as the mortal stares in to the Nictuku's eyes, he is not affected. System: For each rage point spend, this power activates for two turns. ** Pariah: The Nictuku copies a very small amount of his evil aura on to another creature. Other people can sense someting different that they cannot identify about the person, and because of this, the person is a target to practical jokes, being ripped off, unfair treatment, being mugged, just having someone attack him, or if used on a kindred, other kindred will not listen to him, or rolls for feeding may become more difficult. System: Spend one willpower, and roll Manipulation+Empathy vs Willpower. Length of time that pariah works is determined by successes. *1 - One scene *2 - One hour *3 - One day *4 - One week *5 - One month *** Summoning of the Beast: The Niktuku can force the beast the rise in any other kindred, or even in mortals and Garou, causing a frenzy. System: Spend one rage and roll Manipulation + Intimidation vs. Willpower. **** The Push: The Niktuku can copy his own aura of evil to another creature. This can be used on a mortal just to give the Nictuku destructive delight, or to breed mistrust among Nosferatu. System: The Nictuku spends three willpower and three blood points, and rolls Manipulation + Empathy vs. 6, successes determine the length of time that the target carries the aura of evil. *1 - One scene *2 - One hour *3 - One day *4 - One week *5 - One month ***** Removal: The Nictuku can control his aura long enough to function in society. System: For each willpower and rage point spent, Removal lasts for a scene. ****** Form of the Beast: The Nictuku becomes an eight foot tall half wolf half man. (Yes, Crinos.) All physical attributes are raised by three, and perception by two. Manipulation and Charisma are both lowered to one. When in this form the Nictuku has claws which inflict aggravated damage and heals one non-aggravated damage a turn. Unfortunately, silver weapons do aggravated damage and the Nictuku can follow only the most primal of thought patterns. System: The Nictuku spends five willpower and two rage to assume this form until he lets it go. ******* The Domain: The Nictuku can extend his aura to an area. It is debatable whether it is wise to use this on one's haven or not. System: Spend five willpower and Roll Wits + Empathy, area is determined by successes. The ritual needs to be redone once a year, and can be canceled any time by the caster. *1 - A small house *2 - A large house *3 - Office building *4 - City block *5 - Mountain ******** Mark of the Beast: Instead of blood bonding a mortal, the Nictuku can capture one, and then use this power to form a bond with it. The bond is purely related to fear and has nothing to do with loyalty, but fear is a useful weapon. The victim's body somewhere carries the Mark of the Beast. System: The Nictuku must make the Mark on the mortal with a point of blood where he wants it to be, and spend three willpower. ********* Death: The appearance of the Nictuku is enough that it can kill even an awakened creature. System: Spend a rage and roll Manipulation + Intimidation vs. Willpower of target. If the Nictuku scores five successes, the victim must make a willpower roll vs. 8, or die. ********** Annihilate: Nosferatu has been said to be able to reduce his opponents to little more than a corrupted, rotting corpse. System: Spend five willpower, five blood points, and five rage, the victim has no save and is destroyed. (Sure! It's powerful! But it's not like any of your players are going to BE Nictuku! It's a storyteller aide... unless you run a strange game...Anyway, that power could only be used by an Antediluvian themselves, more apt to be an NPC is you ask me, and hopefully your average player is smart enough not to piss of an Antediluvian enough to vaporize him.) ---- Famous Nictuku Abraxes, Lord of Mists; Nuckalavee the Skinless; Gorgo, She Who Screams in Darkness; Echnida the Mother of Foulness. But perhaps the most infamous of all the Nickutu is Baba Yaga. Called the Iron Hag and the Cannibal Hag, Baba Yaga makes her home in Russia, and has recently awakened. Rumor has it that she destroyed the Brujah Communism project, and then proceeded to devour every kindred in Russia, and is now working on the Garou. (Check out World of Darkness for more info.) Some Nosferatu claim that Set is a Nictuku, and that his vileness is all on the inside. This could explain some of the powers of corruption that his Childer are said to have.